


The Switch

by thedrunkhyena



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Coming Out, Gen, Trans Female Character, Trans Male Character, Transgender
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-27
Updated: 2020-05-27
Packaged: 2021-03-03 02:55:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 822
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24397651
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thedrunkhyena/pseuds/thedrunkhyena
Summary: Katara makes a discovery and confides in Sokka, who has his own confession
Comments: 1
Kudos: 85





	The Switch

Sokka was born first, everyone in the Southern Watertribe knew that. First Sokka, then Katara a year later. This fact had no significance to anyone in the entire world, except for them. In reality Katara was born first, then Sokka a year later.  
Katara was always a tomboy, she kept her hair short, and was always considered ‘one of the boys’ by the other kids. Ever since birth everyone had told her she was a girl, she went along with it at first, but as she got older she felt, different. She didn’t feel that way. She tried to explain her feelings to her friends, but they were mostly boys with short attention spans. She tried to tell the adults around her, but she was brushed off as some confused kid who didn’t know what she was talking about. To be honest, she wasn’t exactly sure what she was feeling herself. But she needed to tell someone, have someone understand, maybe know what she was feeling. So she went to her brother.

Katara was nine when she brought her brother to their home by themselves, to an empty house. She said she wanted to talk about something...important. Sokka agreed to talk with a worried feeling inside him. Katara came to him tensed, unlike her usual carefree self. Katara led them to their bedroom and closed the door, not that anyone could hear them from outside but she wanted to make sure this was private. When that was done Katara turned to face her brother, avoiding eye contact. They stood there for a good while in the silence, Katara being to scared to bring this up and Sokka being a more, silent type, usually hanging around the tribe on his own. But the silence grew thick and Sokka couldn’t take it anymore.  
“So...what is it you wanted to talk about?” he asked awkwardly.  
Katara finally mustered up the courage to look at him, but when she opened her mouth to speak, she stumbled over her words.  
“Well- you see...I-uh...”  
She was stopped when Sokka put his hand on her shoulder.  
“Katara, it’s okay. Whatever this is, I got your back.” he gave Katara a warm smile trying to give her the courage to speak up. She finally did, she looked him in the eyes and loudly said:  
“I’m not a girl!”  
It finally made sense now, what she was feeling. She wasn’t a girl, Katara never was. The feeling of relief hit her like a brick wall, a weight lifted off her. She continued.  
“I’m not a girl, I’m a boy!”  
She would have said more but was surprised when Sokka hugged her tightly and started...crying?  
“Sokka, I-I’m sorry, I didn’t mean-“  
“Katara it’s okay, it’s okay...I know exactly how you feel.” he said between sobs.  
What? He knew how she felt? Sokka let go of Katara, hands still on her shoulders.  
“I know how you feel, I’m not a boy, I’m a girl.”  
Katara looked at him in surprise. Not only did she figure out her true self, but her brother was going through the same thing? When the shock faded away, it was replaced with happiness, and overwhelming joy. Katara started to cry to and hugged her brother. They both cried into each other’s arms, knowing that they’re not alone, and that they had each other’s back.  
Sokka pulled away from the hug, drying his tears with his arms. He sounded panicked, all of a sudden.  
“How are we going to tell mom, and dad, and gran gran, and-“ tears returned to fall thinking of all the worst possible outcomes.  
They stood in the silence holding each other, when Katara had an idea.  
“Okay, hear me out. This might sound crazy but maybe we could, you know, switch?”  
Sokka stood there for a second not knowing what she meant, then it hit him.  
“Are you crazy? People will notice! What happens when someone finds out?”  
“They won’t if we keep quiet, not even mom and dad have to know, we look similar enough.”  
She was right, Katara had always kept her hair short, and Sokka’s was always short. They have the same complexion, the same eyes. Maybe this could work out.  
“We’d just need to trade clothes,” said Katara.  
Sokka contemplated this plan, could it work? It could if neither of them slipped up. She nodded and the moment they stepped out of the igloo, dawning the other’s old clothes, they had switched lives.

Ever since the switch both had become much happier with their lives. Sokka was now officially ‘one of the boys,’ and Katara grew her hair out and became more social. She even learned she could waterbend not to long after the switch. And while the two occasionally slipped up the other’s pronouns, they went by unnoticed. And to the Southern Watertribe, Sokka has always been the first born, with Katara coming later.

**Author's Note:**

> Woo! Sorry if this is rough but it’s my first fanfic ever. This is a head canon I will die on. If you have any other fanfic ideas for atla feel free to drop them but no grantees I’ll make it. Hoped you liked this one anyways!


End file.
